100 Great Children's Picturebooks by Martin Salisbury

I don't think I can emphasise enough the great joy that I got from reading this book. Martin currently acts as External Examiner (BA Hons Illustration) at the University of Westminster and Southampton Solent University. The following year he joined the international jury for the CJ Picture Book Awards in Seoul. In 2007, Martin Salisbury was a member of the judging panel for the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Award in Italy. In 2004, Martin wrote Illustrating Children’s Books, a major guide to the practice and theory of the art form published by A&C Black in the UK. Along with colleague Wendy Coates-Smith he founded the graphic arts journal, Line which has been internationally acclaimed as an important contribution to research into illustration and drawing. Martin regularly contributes to Artists & Illustrators magazine, Books for Keeps and the Journal of the Association of Illustrators. In recent years his work has focused mainly on the area of children’s book illustration, painting for exhibition and writing on the subject of drawing and illustration. He has worked as an illustrator and painter ever since. It makes for a wonderful collector’s item and is a splendid indulgence if you have a weakness for beautiful books.Martin studied illustration at Maidstone College of Art (now part of the University of the Creative Arts) in the 1970s.

All in all, this collection would be an awesome gift for picturebook/art lovers. I was happy to see Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back though I would have also included This is Sadie by Sara O’Leary and How To by Julie Morstad. Sendak’s The Moon Jumpers makes an appearance as does Rikejte si se mnou (Say with me) by Frantisek Hrubin and illustrated by Jiri Trnka (published by Melantrich, Prague 1943). The selection is varied Salisbury chooses titles from different languages and countries regardless of whether it has been translated or not. Each title is given a double-page spread and some illustrations from the book are shared while on the side the publishing details are given with a paragraph or two about the author and illustrator. I enjoyed going through this collection very much. This compendium of picturebooks* is as the backcopy describes it: “a visual feast.” Martin Salisbury who collected the titles is careful not to attach any absolutes to this list (it’s 100 Great instead of 100 Best) and I appreciated that because reading material and one’s attachment to it is so very subjective.

Published May 5th 2015 by Laurence King Publishing

100 Great Children's Picturebooks by Martin Salisbury